John johnson



.niteh fates JOHN JOHNSON, 0F SVACO, MAINE. Letters Patent No. 60,899,dated January 1, 1867 IMPROVED MODE 0E GATHERING AND AURIEEROUS SANDSFROM THE BEDS 0P ithe firlgehnls rsfmeh min-1112s: 3mm Extent amt makingpart f the limits.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY. CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN JOHNSON, of Saco, county of York, State ofMaine, have invented a new and improved System of Removing and TreatingAnrii'erous Sands, Gravels, &c., from the Beds Of'RlVBI'S; and I dohereby declare that the following is a. full ondexact descriptionthereof.

The nature of my invention consists in the application of suitablemotive power, centrifugal pumps, pipes, or tubes, concentratingapparatus, 8m, and amulgnruntor placed on a suitable barge for thepurpose of removing from the bell of rivers the auriferous sands, &c.,and treating the some for the recovery of the free precious metals.

Toenable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed todescribeits construction and operation. (See my Patent, No. 56,948,improved dredging maching, dated August 7th, 1866.)-

The principal feature of my iuventiomconsists in providing a; boat orbarge, (having the requisite boat oppliunces,) of suitable size to carryupon its deck a. steam boiler, 'engin e, pu np, tank, tube, or trunk,es. The boat 'Imake rectangulanebout six times as long as wide and inclepth, say two feet, so as to (ire-w when ready for work as littledepth of water as is practicable. I 011 the deck of this flat-boat 3place thevmotive power for!" actuating the pump, &c., and on the deck Ialso place a. strong wrought-iron cese or box, eirnnd water-tight,except through the tube and pump. To this vessel or case I nttech asuitable tubeor trunk, six crmore inches in diameter, of the requiredlength, and somewhat pliable, in such a. manner that the Outer end ofthis tube or think, of proper shape, may be lonered upon the beci of theriver to be ready to removethe eurii'erous sends,

&c., and the inboard end properly secured to the iron b'ox. Upon thiswrought-iron case or tank, I set my pump, the foot valve of "which Iadjust towithin a few inchce oi the bottom, more or less. Within thiscase I secure e suitably strong wrought-iron grating, anli so adjust itthat when rocks, pebbles, &c., are brought up with the gifzwels nnclsandB-they'may be screened from the letter so no not to p'ess throughthe pump. Almost directly opposite to the tube, and in a line'with thetnbecr trunk, I have an air-tight "(loos that can be opened at pleasurefor the purpose of removing the accnmuleted rocks, 850., wheneverrequiring to lie so. Within this wrought-iron ceseor tank, andnee-r thebottom, I place a false bottom mmie up of iron an i wire gauze, or any Iother suitable substance. Between the bottom and the false bottom, Iintroduce wcternucler suitable head or pressure for the purpose-Ofpreventing the consolidating or settling of the sands as they enter fromWithout through the tube on trunk previous to their enteringthepump.This false bottom I place at an angle, so thet -es the sands come inthrough the tube and grating they fall with the water upon the falsebottom. A. volume of water being caused to'pese from beneathnpwards,.emi the false better n being set at on angle anti agitated,cruises,

a. constant flowing onward oi the eemi-fiuicl euriferone' seinris,=a.tthe some time concentrating or settling, the

richer and heavier particles of fine gold. near to, beneath, but out ofthe direct influence ofthe action of the,

pump, thereby retaining the richer gatherings Within this air-tightcase, end these rich accumulations accessible only to the managing agent,by lock and key. As the sends are drawn up from the bottom or bed ofthe-titer, through the tube end separating receptacle, it-is fc unylthat some of J the finer particlesofgold escape with the studs antiwater, and as the s'ands and water containing-some of this fine golfiflow out through the pump Fromv this receptacle; to secure th.ein,-Iplace-contiguous to the pwmpsuitablenmelgemating'apparatus, there toreceive and well distribute the suriferous sands that the particlesescaping from the receptecle be there taken up by the emolgomstor beforeposting these sands overboard beneath-the miter again. When notemploying the power for pumping or dredging, I so arrange it, thatetpleasure, with suitable propeller anti belting, I propel the boat to anysuitable locality. I also liavepn board ollthe n e-edful appliances foranchoring, warping, anti otherwise making efiicient this apperetus forthe purpose intemieci. It will. he clearly seen that en eilicient steamengine, any one of fifteen horse power, actuating a centrifugal pisnip,properly locete on the: air-tight chamber, and' from this chamber a tubeor trunk of suitable length and size to dredge in the requiretl depth ofwater, and. also concentrating and smnlgciueting with separating; thewhole on r. barge anti operated, constitutes a goldmbtniuing;

system new and useful, and more than equalling in efiiciency the laborof e thou-send] men with the spade or boat shovel. On been of the barge,in some localities, I can dispense with the concentrating-antiseparating nirtigh box; connecting the tube or trnnk directly with thepump, and lit the outflow place suitable separating and washingapparatus.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is The process ofraising anti treating euriferous sends found at the bottom of rivers andlakes sabstnntially as described.

I claim the combination of the pumping apparatus with separators,concentrators, agitators, one umelgsmeters when they are Operated onboerd a floating barge eubstsnt-iclly as described.

Witnesses:

' FRANK O. JouNsoN, MOSES l lv nv JOH JOHNSON.

